


I've Loved You For So Long

by YourCandleOnTheWater



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Red String of Fate, Soulmates, Time Skips, the string is not red but serves the same purpose
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-20 18:13:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16560806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YourCandleOnTheWater/pseuds/YourCandleOnTheWater
Summary: Alteans have a silver string that ties them to the person they are destined to be with. Princess Allura's string, however, hasn't come out yet, much to the concern of everyone, especially to her. It is only millennia later does the thread materialize, leading her to the new Black Paladin of Voltron.





	1. Patiently Waiting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally a WIP I posted on Tumblr for Shallura Week. After having the same song on repeat in my head, I decided to see this one through.

When Allura was a child, she was certain she would be alone for the rest of her life.

Alteans believed otherwise, of course; everyone is destined to be with their soulmate, and that they are tied together by a silver thread on their left ring fingers. The thread is invisible to the owner right until one meets their life partner, guaranteeing happiness for the rest of their days.

At first, the princess didn’t believe it. She thought the thread was a myth, a figurative way of tying someone down to domesticity. She didn't need anyone to complete her or to make her happy. However, when she first saw her father kiss her mother's ring finger, she had to admit that the thread was real.

With Altea being a relatively small planet, it wasn’t uncommon for people to find their life partners at a young age. Allura would often hear serendipitous exclamations of joy when her schoolmates found their destined ones in the playground. She couldn't see the threads, but she could feel the happiness radiating off every new couple in spades.

Years passed, and all of Allura’s same-aged peers had already found their soulmate. With diplomacy being a strong endeavor in Altea, she even knew of a few Alteans who travelled between planets to live with their destined one. 

The princess quietly passed her eighteenth birthday surrounded by her father and Coran. However, even by the age in which she was deemed an adult, Allura still did not possess a silver thread on her finger. Soon enough, whispers started to fly, about the lonely princess whose silver thread never came out.

Maybe her destined one was in another planet? Another galaxy?

Maybe they had already passed away shortly after she was born?

The whispers would stop whenever she passed by. Allura held her head high as she pretended she didn’t hear.

It wasn’t as if she wasn’t loved. Her parents never made her feel like she was lacking. Members of the court would praise her for her wisdom and poise; Coran especially would dote on her, sneaking her juniberry candy when Alfor or Melenor weren’t looking.

Even the lions of Voltron, who bowed to no one but their own paladins, seemed to defer to the girl. Every time she slipped into the hangar alone, to hide from her responsibilities and the whispers for a while, the lions’ eyes would glow in acknowledgement. The black lion, directed by no one, would always crouch down to greet her, and the others would follow suit. Allura would pat their muzzles in greeting, and they would softly purr, never failing to put a smile from her face. Even as decaphoebs passed, the lions’ hangar remained as one of her favorite hideaways.

One night, however, the routine was different.

War was imminent, with cries and shouts of anti-Galra sentiment growing louder as peace talks failed. Her father and Emperor Zarkon, once close friends, were never found in the same room.

Nobody has formed Voltron in decaphoebs.

The lions, however, were still in their hangar. Once again, Allura, heart heavy with the inevitable war approaching, found refuge in the cold space, empty save for the five robots whose eyes glowed yellow upon her entry. The black lion crouched down, with the other four following suit. She touched their muzzles, trying to remember the sensation of their cool metal under her hand, their quintessence leaving a calm current under her skin. First yellow, then green, then black, then red, and lastly blue.

I don’t know if this will be the last time I can sneak in here to see you. We are at war now, but I still didn’t want to forget to thank you for being with me since my childhood.”

The princess paused for a while, bittersweet memories filled with familial love and loneliness flitted through her mind. She continued on.

“Thank you for listening to me when I talked about my problems. I had to keep a brave face for the sake of my duty, but being able to come here and lay my heart bare to you, even if I couldn’t do so with anyone else, it-it made everything easier.”

Allura found it strange but comforting that she was able to spill her heart out to robots easier than to other Alteans.

“My father always talked about Voltron with pride. You all have been pillars of strength and comfort, symbols of peace and of what we really could be.”

She pressed her forehead against the blue lion’s maw, feeling the robot purr in sympathy and comfort. The princess looked down at her left hand.

“And to think,” Allura reflected tearfully, “My life will end without me ever meeting my soulmate.”

The black lion gave a soft roar to her right, their eyes turning white. She felt something akin to a voice in her mind.

_Patience… will be with you in time…_

Allura thanked them, tears starting to line her eyes, before leaving the hangar for the last time. She had never felt so alone but so relieved in the longest time.


	2. Chapter 2

Allura had been asleep for millennia.

As predicted, her father had pushed her in a cryopod, for better or worse. Upon waking, the only two feelings in her were grief and guilt. She should have been in the battle with her father. Being in stasis while there was a war going on for far too long was practically treason, and now, Altea as she knew it was long gone.

No longer did she see her father and the paladins of old. In front of her now were five Earthlings, most of them far too young to have ever been in battle. She felt a tinge of worry after giving them a once-over. Would they truly be able to defeat Zarkon? Will they resent her for dragging them into this quest against their will? She pushed those thoughts aside for now. They still need to find the last three lions.

She looked around the room at all of them, eyes finally stopping at the young man in black.

Her heart beat wildly in her chest. Her left ring finger started to tingle, as if a pocket of quintessence was about to burst right at her fingertip.

Allura faintly felt the black lion purr in the back of her mind.

She didn't dare look down at the newly formed thread of silver until the new paladins left in search of the remaining lions.

* * *

That evening, the princess visited Coran in his room. Once the older Altean opened the door, Allura immediately wrapped her arms around his torso and cried. Coran held her as all the stress and grief was being released from her system.

“Altea’s gone Coran,” Allura whispered, “I can’t believe it.”

“I know,” the advisor replied, “It hurts to think that all we have left of our culture is us.”

Allura cried even harder in front of the man she considered her father figure, and all Coran could do was rub her back in comfort. The shock and horror of that revelation, which the princess tried to hide in front of the paladins, was finally released.

After what felt like several vargas, Allura wiped her face and gave Coran a watery smile. She took a step back to gather her thoughts.

“There’s something I want to tell you,she announced, twisting and untwisting her fingers in nervousness.

Concern flashed over Coran’s face. “What’s wrong, Princess? Is something the matter?”

She shook her head. “No Coran, nothing else is wrong. It’s just that, when we met the new Paladins of Voltron, I felt a flash of quintessence in my left hand.”

She raised her left hand, looking at the silver thread wrapped around her ring finger fondly. Allura knew the Altean would not be able to see the string, but she saw his eyebrows raise in understanding at the gesture.

“The black lion was right. I just needed to be patient.”

* * *

The black paladin - Shiro, as the other paladins called him, was a formidable leader. He was the eldest and seemingly the most mature of the lot, but he was also warm and cared for everyone's well-being. It was no wonder that all the paladins looked up to him.

However, the princess could tell that the man has been through so much, far too much for anyone to handle, and that he has been scarred, both physically and emotionally. Beyond the scar across his nose, the tuft of white hair above his brow, and the arm that emitted a sickly purple glow, Shiro seemed to hide his psychological scars from his peers well, but he was unable to do the same to her.

Among the first signs that Allura noticed Shiro was carrying such a burden was his sleep schedule. The man didn't sleep as much as the other paladins and was privy to keeping watch in the castle. His performance in his duties as a paladin were impeccable, so she couldn't find fault in his actions, but if the princess looked closely enough, she could see the dark circles around his eyes becoming a permanent fixture on his face.

The princess's discovery of his late night habits was completely accidental.

Deep into the night cycle of the ship, Allura found Shiro staring at the stars in the bridge. She thought her footsteps were muted, but as she softly padded towards the paladin, Shiro turned around.

“Princess,” he greeted, “You should be sleeping.”

“I should say the same for you, Paladin.”

He gave her a small smile. She noticed it didn’t reach his eyes.

“I haven’t slept much since my time with the Galra.”

The princess mentally kicked herself for causing him distress. “I apologize for bringing up such bad memories.”

Shiro didn't seem to take offense at her comment and merely looked at his arm before looking back out at the stars. Allura moved closer before stopping by his right side. She gently held his hand, gripping a little tighter after his knee-jerk reaction to remove the metal hand from her grasp.

“I’m so sorry the Galra have done this to you,” Allura murmured, “I hope we will make sure no one else has to suffer from their tyranny.”

“Thank you Princess,” Shiro looked at her hands holding on to his prosthetic. “Despite my suffering, I’ve come to learn that there is still some good out in the universe, you and Voltron among them.”

Pleased with his answer, Allura let go of their hands, but moved a little closer to the black paladin. She could feel the cool metal through the sleeves of her sleeping robe, but she only moved a little closer. They both watched the stars in silence before they eventually started to yawn.

“Would you like me to bring you to your room?” Shiro offered.

Allura shook her head. “I’ll stay just a little while longer. You go on ahead.”

Shiro hesitantly nodded. “Just please make sure you do get some rest.”

The Altean gave a small laugh. “I will. We’re going to need it. Good night, Shiro.”

“Good night, Allura.” Shiro turned around to exit the bridge.

Allura couldn’t help but stare at the silver thread that stretched longer with every step he took. She brought her left hand to her chest and gave a faint smile.

* * *

Their accidental late night meetings became less accidental as time went by. Sometimes they would pass each other in the dim hallways, both lost in thought. Shiro sometimes caught Allura checking the monitors or talking with her father’s hologram. Every time Shiro found himself intruding in such occasions, he would leave; neither the princess nor the king seemed to notice his presence each time.

Most of the time, Allura would find Shiro on the bridge, just gazing at the stars. More often than not, she would stand to his right, observing the soft flashes of color dotting the universe.

“When I was a boy,” Shiro once told her, “I’ve always wanted to travel the universe.”

Seeing the way his dark eyes shined in wonder at the stars before him, and the hint of a smile on his lips, Allura knew that was true. From what she was told, Shiro's home planet was young and had just started developing technology that can bring their inhabitants into space. Shiro had proudly told her of his accomplishments at the Garrison, how he was among those in his planet to traverse this far into the universe.

“Well, you’re traveling it now. Is this what you wanted?” the princess asked.

The soft smile wavered a bit. He kept his eyes forward. “… Not exactly,” he murmured, resigned. The princess hummed in understanding.

“But I don’t regret meeting you.”

Shiro’s words reverberated throughout the bridge, yet he received no reply from the princess. He turned to face her; he was able to catch her eyes before she quickly ducked her head down. The paladin noticed her face looked redder, and that the marks on the cheek emitted a soft glow, but he thankfully didn't comment on her reaction. After a few ticks, Allura raised her head again, face still flushed but her lips curved in a smile.

“The feeling is mutual.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and let me know how I'm doing! This is completely unbeta'ed, so all mistakes are attributed to me and my lack of sleep.  
> Thanks for the love!


End file.
